Definitions
by Shi Feng Huang
Summary: ok, the title is no good, but I won't spoil the story in the summary, you'd better read it


DISCLAIMER. I do not own Ranma ½ and I'm not making any profit out of this.

   for thought

"    " for speech

It was a quiet, warm spring afternoon. Nodoka smiled to herself while getting ready a tray with a teapot, some cups and preparing some assorted snacks and sweets. Both Genma and Ranma were waiting for her in the living room, after a copious meal. Her Deares would probably be taking a nap by now in his panda form, after shovelling whatnot half the lunch she had prepared. She guessed Ranma was trying to be a bit more polite and avoided wolfing down his food like he did at the Tendo's. This was some interesting reunion. After the failed wedding, she'd had her own house repaired, but she had allowed Ranma to stay at the Tendo's under the (feeble) pretext to offer some protection to the girls. 

I can't believe Soun trained with Genma… such a crybaby. 

And Genma… well, he had stayed to keep Soun company and help him fend off Happosai. At least, that's what he said. She sighed. She'd just invited them for lunch and hopefully, having some time to talk with her son. She was trying to understand hiw weird life, seeing as how she was caught up as well in it.

She picked the try and went to the living room, setting it in the table. She had seen Ranma watching the room, the garden, anywhere, with some edge she couln't identify. She sat in front of her son and offered him a cup of tea. He thanked her, blushing a bit, and took a big gulp, as much for the sake of it being a good brand of tea as for anything else. She helped herself to some tea, nibling at some sweet and offering him some. Food seemed like the key to his heart in some way. It made him more at ease. Guess he feels uncomfortable about Genma and me… Oh well. She sighed.

"You have some healthy appetite for a man, Ranma – she watched him both paling and blushing at the same time; at least, she had left her katana out of sight – Why, I remember your father…". She drilled some funny stories of the time when he was courting her and the first years of marriage, then driving the conversation to his training trip. Ranma went over the most embarrassing episodes for Genma, carefully avoiding some of the worst episodes where his physical (and psicological) integrity were put to the test. She laughed, blushed and cringed with some of  those stories.

And then, the big questions. About girls. She got from him the story about his engagement with Ukyo. The poor girl, losing all those years chasing him because of her husband's greed… The thought of having some panda rug had run through her head before, but she was comtemplating the idea of getting it herself. And then Shampoo and her ummm… strange Amazon laws. Most probably, her husband's stomach was behind that 'engagement', at least for that thing about the Kiss of Death. Then Kodachi She smiled behind her hand when he shuddered along explaing how he met her. He avoided talking too much about Akane, blushing madly when he did. She was sure there were a lot of adventures she didn't know about, but she didn't want to rush him into confidence. There was always Kasumi to provide for that.

Her manly son, attracting so much attention. But then, what did he think of all that? Did anybody ask him? Did he enjoy being chased? So many girls after him, and so different… What kind of girl did he like? 

Because he liked girls rightaway. 

He'd better like girls… she shuddered at the thought.

"So, Ranma, how do you like being the center of the attention of such lovely ladies? They seem quite smitten with you…" Well, take Akane out of that picture. She always seemed so reluctant to show affection to his son, but there was a spark of… something in her that gave her a good feeling.

Ranma took turns blushing, stuttering and fidgeting, while babbling nonsensically.

"And they're so different. You are one lucky man to have so many posibilities before you.  Most likely you'll find your type among them…"

"My type?" he asked hesitantly.

"Why, yes, son, your type…" She nudged him a little bit, while presenting a dish with some cakes and pastries – Come on, Ranma, after one year and a half you must have some idea about which kind of girl you like. Or would you like to have them all?"

He choked on his tea, spilling the rest of the cup over the table. She could not help but laugh, while offering a napkin.

"I'm sorry, Ranma. I meant no ill" she managed to say, mirth evident in her voice.

He hesitated glaring at his mother, but finally settled for smiling and scratching the back of his head.

"So…- he hoped she dropped the line – which kind of girl do you like?" Clearly not.

He eyed the dish with the desserts, as if to pick one and grinned.

"Ya know, girls and desserts look alike to me…"

"How so?"

"Well, ya got all those sweets with plastic flashy colourful envelopes, but not much inside, no mistery… "

The image of that bouncy Chinese girl came upon her unbidden. Quite a good description, colouful, with tight, small dresses  that left very little to the imagination.

"…then those coffee sweets, leaving a bitter aftertaste one can't seem to get rid of…"

That girl dressed in gymnastic gear seemed to fit that description pretty well.

"… then there are some cakes pretty tasteful and appeticing, but you just try them when you're out of energy or just had a bad day…"

Uh, that was kinda difficult to figure out. Maybe that Kuonji girl?

"…and then – he smiled- there are chocolates, wrapped in some simple but elegant paper. And you never quite know what's exactly inside, if it's only chocolate or they have some kind of filling, fruit, liquor, fudge, mint… And sometimes it's hard or expensive to get one of those. But you can't help but try."

Wow. For being some sort of strange analogy, it made sense. Nodoka was impressed.

"And what kind of dessert do you like?- the question was burning in her brain.

"Er, I think I prefer…"


End file.
